The Hijacking of Miss Ria
by JohannaMockingjay
Summary: I, Arianna Beck have been robbed. Not of any material objects but of my life, my memory and my mind. How do you get back what has been long gone. Join Ria as she pulls her life back together. First fanfic on this site. Please leave a review.


Running, the leaves from the forest move noisily from my intrusion but it's nothing compared to the hunters behind me. My pulse is already erratic enough without the added pressure of sprinting for my life. It's crazy what you can pick up in life threatening moments, for instance the smells, the burning of wood is all around me as I try to outrun what I started; what I began, to flush them out, just like the game makers. Even with the burning there's still a smell of fresh wildlife, the trees, the grass the under grow, all of it.

They must have heard me, they have to I'm making enough noise but maybe, just maybe they didn't after all they're running for their lives too. That calms my nerves fleetingly, before a new wave of terror rolls in, if they haven't realised I'm here they certainly will when we reach the clearing. I make my decision; I turn left narrowly avoiding a large fir. The direction I'm heading now seems less toxic, there's less fumes from the fire, less flames, the trees pan out they all seem intact , but the snows still melting which means it's near, that I'm still in danger.

I carry on, pushing the leaves out of my way, picking myself up each time I fall down. I console myself with the fact that it's not as cold as before. Then suddenly I see a clearing up a head. A large field or something with not a single bush or tree it seems. I run faster, the air thins and the black smoke is left behind me. I break through the trees and bushes to nearly fall into the lake a half metre in front of me, my hands flail about me as I try to catch a branch or stem to stop my fall. I make contact with a vine but it gives and I fall over the edge of the small cliff.

My toes graze the surface of the water; I pull them up as close to me as I can while still managing to hold the vine, narrowly avoiding the mutts that inhabit the water underneath as they attempt to attack me. The mutts, like giant overgrown fish with the ability to breathe above water and a longing for human flesh, a tracking system for blood. Deadly, fortunately I had already encountered them less than a week previous, I knew what they were capable of. The mutts started jumping desperate to claim the fresh meat dangling in front of them; one got my ankle and sank their teeth in. There's an almighty scream that has me cowering but I realise it's mine the pain intensifies as rock solid teeth break through the ligaments and cartilage. The darkness brightens, colours formed in my vision and more than once it was white but I forced myself to focus, to shake them off. I succeeded however the mutt did too, at this stage the blood from my ankle was dripping into the water setting them into a frenzy.

My time was up, like my father would say 'you have two options, darling, what's it going to be? Sink or Swim?' and just like every other time that question was asked, I find myself with the same answer. Swim, always swim. I grabbed wildly around the tip of the cliff and eventual y found a root of some sort that I could hold onto I yanked on it first to make sure I wouldn't fall to my certain death. It didn't give. Using my upper body strength I pulled up trying to use my one good foot by pushing it against the wall. Sharp breaths and gasps of pain as the mutts' teeth make contact with my useless ankle. I drop the vine and focus all my attention on the root. One last attempt, I just need one, if I fail it's over, I've done my best. But something stirs in me, I can't give up. It's not in my nature to give up. I grab hold of the root tighter than before and pull strongly, my hands slowly inch up the root until I'm completely on the cliffs ages. Panting, gasping for breath and the occasional hiss as I move to better shelter. The snows refreshing now and the freezing soothes the pain in my left ankle. Propped up against a tree I give up on moving and instead I just sit trying to slow my breathing. The snow melts and as I move to push more on my ankle I realise my problem, its slush. I open my eyes glancing around wildly until I chance a look behind the trunk and there it is, the fire forcing its way towards my little haven. I'll have only minutes before the heat and fumes reach me. I rip my coat and tie it extremely tight around my ankle until I can't feel the pain above the added pressure. When that task is done I collapse against the trunk once again and count to ten in my head. A thought occurs to me. This is their fault, my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters. I shouldn't be here, they should. I open my eyes and get to my feet. Nothing's going through my head but yet I thought that.

I set my left foot on the ground and wince. No pain, no gain. I chant them four words in my head with every step. It gets easier and I begin a slow run. Skirting the edge of the lake I make my way to the clearing that held the cornucopia. A small splash from the water on my right alerted me to the fact I was being followed, no doubt by the mutts who got a taste for my blood; they were designed to track down and kill when they got someone's blood in their system.

The smell of burning still very present now circled the field around me, closing off any chance of escape. Upon entering, one could clearly see the snow turning to slush and the tainted red and pink of blood from fallen and wounded tributes earlier on in the games. I pulled out both my sword and dagger before I made my presence known and ran straight for the opposite side of the cornucopia. I got lucky they had not made it to the clearing but barely a second before I had reached the opposite side did I hear them, coughing and spluttering.

"Quick, get more of the weapons; someone's bound to turn up." A gruff voice coughed.

I stiffened; he was the one that dealt the final blow to Cade. I didn't dare peek out from my hiding place to see how many there was, they would find me soon enough since all the weapons were on my side of the arena. I stared straight ahead as I listened to scuffling as they slowly made their way over, that's when I noticed him, Hilliard, in the shadows of the burning trees with a cloth over his mouth. He had his trident raised at the ready. I raised my finger to my lips when I was sure he was watching me and raised a trident from the ground in front of me. His nodded his head in agreement. It seemed like we had some appreciation or respect for the other, my money was on him to win. The footsteps got closer but I was no longer in the dark, the shadows from the fire alerted me to their number, four, easily taken out. A cannon shot fired deep in the forest followed by another a few moments later. My plan had worked.

They continued their approach and I focused my senses on the person closest to me, District 1. Another step and she was in full view. The trident flew out of my hand before she could even react to my presence. It pierced her, straight through the head. Instant death, the only one I could deal with. A cannon fired signalling her death though blood was still gushing out of her, discolouring the frozen ground around. Instantly, Chayton raised his own sword and aimed a strike at me but I was one step ahead, like always and easily deflected it expecting the blow he was about to go for an under blow when a knife pierced his hand, the weapon falling from his grasp. He cursed and pulled out a trident of his own turning to attack Hilliard leaving me to fight the two remaining tributes, the girl from District 3 and the boy from District 1. Thanks Hilliard, how noble of you, leaves the girl to fight the two masochists. Each with their own style of weapons, I raised my sword and the fight began.

I found myself being forced to retreat every so often in the direction of the lake. A direction I was not all that thrilled about. The ground around us changed as a weapons made contact with the intended target sending blood in all direction. I threw small daggers at them at first hitting in the arms and legs mostly, all hitting them causing a good deal of pain and I received winces, hisses and curse after each one. The boy took out a piece of wood from his pocket and threw it in the direction of my head. I tried to duck but wasn't quick enough, it hit me in the nose, resulting in an audible crack and throbbing pain, I felt something else break too. Blood shot out of it like a river. I wiped my sleeve along it but gave up trying to stem it. My sense of smell was cut off. I swung my sword expertly, catching the boy on the leg and forcing it to bend painfully in the opposite direction. A knife shot out of the girl's hand slicing my arm and forcing open the wound I had received on the first day, I ignored it, there were more pressing matters. The metal screeched and scraped as we each attempted to deliver the others ultimate demise. It's amazing how the instinct for survival takes over and I understood how all the tributes could stand in here and deliver the deaths to the others. It was either theirs or yours and very few would openly accept a death without putting up a fight. Besides, it wasn't in my nature to just give up.

"Looks like little miss District 2 has some skill." The girl hissed.

"Someone didn't want their talent being found out." District 1 grunted, joining in with the taunting. I refused to reply; instead I used their moments of distraction to my advantage delivering each a blow to their abdomen, causing them both to grunt in pain.

"You little bitch. Didn't you ever learn to respect your elders?" District 3 growled. I smiled triumphantly. She swung her axe; I ducked instinctively, narrowly missing my head.

"Yet she allowed the boy to die for her. What was his name? Oh yeah, Cade." The boy swung his mace and again I only just managed to jump out of the way. These assholes were really starting to get on my nerves. So with a quick flick of my sword I angled the axe in a way that it fell back onto her arm and swiped my dagger from my pocket using the girl as a distraction and lunging for the boy quickly plunging it into his chest. Blood gurgled into his mouth as his lungs filled with blood, until it spewed out uncontrollably. I rolled off him and got to my feet shakily.

"Why thank you Miss 2, you just made my job easier. I'll be crowned victor and you will be dead within the hour." That was the final straw for me, how she could pass over death so easily, how she put so much faith in her attack system even though I had succeeded in breaching it many a time.

"Over my dead body, will you be victor." I managed to force out from my clenched teeth.

She smiled innocently, "Well, if you insist." She threw her axe with all her force and it hit my left arm, thankfully.

I pulled it out about to throw her own tool back at her when I noticed the figures emerging from the sea. My eyes widened. Did I forget to mention that the mutts could walk on land, just not as fast as water, or at least not to my knowledge. But they were going at a fair speed. I dropped the axe and ran. The girl tribute laughed coldly.

"Scared you'll get hurt, Miss 2?" she would have said more but she was cut off by her own shriek as the mutts grabbed her on her upper thigh pulling the girl to the ground effortlessly. They were about a metre in height when they stood up and about the same amount wide. Killing machines designed to definitely finish us off. A great mound of them gathered around her and mauled her scratching, attacking, clawing, biting even eating. Her pain filled screams rang through the air sending shivers through me; no one should die that way. That's when I remembered her name, Alectra.

My ankle began to ache but I pressed on knowing the only thing that separated me from my most certain death was a few metre of snow or mush. I reached the cornucopia to see Hilliard and Chayton battling it out, a sword in each of their possession. Chayton had the upper hand, having the previous knowledge of such a weapon however Hilliard had the upper body strength with his strong build and muscles and his knowledge of handling an axe. He chanced a look down and was surprised to see me there. Chayton used this to his advantage plunging his sword into his leg, except it missed and just sliced the thigh; Hilliard returned the favour by opening a wound in his chest. I tore my eyes from the scene and searched wildly in the ground for the right weapon, finally I found a long bladed knife and another, slightly shorter sword. I snatched them up and then looked to where I could run, truth be told there was nowhere. My own fire sealed the forest off from everyone, the cornucopia was about to be one tributes funeral and the wide expanse ahead of me was filled with man eating mutts that appeared to be fish like but I had seen them up close and saw there scales, they were more reptile like an alligators or snakes skin.

A sword cut through the air then and a loud grunt of pain came from above me. My attention once again returned to the two boys and saw Hilliard on his back, blood spewing out of side. Chayton raised his sword high to deliver the final blow. Hilliard raised his sword, clearly attempting to defend himself in some way. Chayton's sword came down but before it could hit tis target it fell from his hands clanging against the cornucopia until it hit the ground. Hilliard had driven his weapon into our foes foot, blood was now pouring out of previously mentioned limb. They were both now on their backs. Hilliard threw his sword at Chayton, slicing all along his chest and a small cut to the throat, till it too fell to the ground.

"Are you coming up?" the agony he was in was very clear in his voice. I was frozen to the spot from their fight that I was temporarily distracted from my own looming fight. I watched the fast approaching pack of mutts for a second. My mind made up. I looked one last time to the two boys above me and shook my head. They just had to outlive the other. I would fight.

I walked forward a few paces to the point of the cornucopia facing the mutts head on. I ignored both there cries of protest. The girl from District 3 had yet to stop screaming, her begs of mercy for someone to end the torture. I guess neither could live with both of out cries on their conscience. Shocker, I wasn't aware Chayton had one. I tightened my grip on my weapons and raised each defensively. The first to reach me was easily brought down a quick hit through the head and out again and its limp carcass fell to the ground with a thud. There was a group of three to hit next, one latched on to my arm. I killed the other two before dealing the final blow to him. Then there was a group of six and then another of seven until about twenty of them had surrounded me. I was reduced to just hitting and swiping the air around me as they each jumped and bit into me. The pain was in so many areas it became too hard to keep track. I thanked my stars I had practised multiple sword fighting with Tristan. I was able to manoeuvre the blade and the sword in a way that I never left any side exposed. Attacking with my blade at the front, while defending my back with the sword. Somehow they were forcing me towards the water too. I guess they would be able to attack me better from in there. As we got closer to the water's edge the screams became louder. Alectra was close. Her scream became pleas as she begged the mutts to stop. I was causing her more pain.

"Make it stop. Please, just make it stop. I don't want this. I want to go home. Please!" she said, sobbing. Her pain cut through me. My lack in concentration left a great chance for attack which is what one did. His jaw fastened around my ankle. I screamed upon the contact as those sharp teeth broke through the bone again and again.

"Kill me! Kill me!" Alectra screamed. Our shouts and cries of pain mixed into one. The brute came up for air and I used that as an excuse to ram the sword into his open mouth and straight out again, through his brain. I used his body as a shield, flying around the end of the stick to hit the others with. It gave me a wide berth leaving me with a little area of clear ground that included Alectra's body. It was so mangled I doubt even the Capitols surgeons could fix her. Large chunks of her left leg were missing while the other was covered in blood with her foot gone. Her stomach was completely clawed and scratched. A few of her fingers were missing too along with a lot of her blond hair. Her arms were bent at odd angles and fell limp on the ground, only part of the arm would move when she attempted to shield her face. Her nose was still intact though it was bloody but that was about it. Her tooth had punctured her lip leaving a hole in her skin with matted blood. Her left eye had blood pouring out of it, she wasn't even blinking to try and stop it. There were teeth marks on her ears too. No one should be left to die like that. No one could possibly survive an attack like that. Alectra's one good eye followed me and watched my movements as I forced the mutts back further. A cannon fired. I glanced down. No, Alectra was still watching me, must have been one of the boys. I turned to look at her.

"Please." She whispered. It wasn't the vulnerability of that one word that convinced me, it was her eyes they held so much pain and torture to them, they were begging me in a way words wouldn't. I lifted my dagger and drove it through her heart. What was left of her body jolted at the impact but then a very vacant look crossed her face and I knew my good deed of the day had just been fulfilled. I dropped my knees and left the blade where it was, in her heart.

It took them less than a second to converge on top of me and begin the assault of where they hadn't reached before. I had long since lost feeling in what was happening in regards my legs except for my ankle which surpassed all other pains down there. I could still move them they just didn't feel attached to me. The snarls and growls reached my ears but no smell. It was strange like watching a video in school when the sound goes out. You can see them opening their mouths but you can only guess what sounds are coming out. Smell was one sense I had never been fully without before. I heard snaps near my head. I lifted my hands to my face and tried to curl into a foetal position but I only managed half way. The pain from their clawing at my abdomen prevented me. A set of teeth attacked my jugular leaving a feeling of wetness all along my neck. The nape was next and I felt part of my ear come off with that bite. I was just about to give up and let the mutts take me when all of a sudden they dropped me, whatever they were clawing or chewing at was abandoned and they retreated back to the water.

What felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes, passed before I realised the horrible flesh eating vermin was actually gone. I tried to push myself up from the ground and I nearly succeeded except my hands gave way and I fell back on my back. I found myself gasping for breath. My lungs felt empty, everything felt so weird but I didn't dare look down at myself, I couldn't stand to see the state of my own body if Alectra's was anything to go by. I attempted to sit up again. This time I managed and I even began to stand up, though I had to stop a few times to catch my breath but I got there. I looked around the clearing at the arena and I didn't feel a thing just emptiness. A groan interrupted my thoughts and I glanced over to the cornucopia, where the noise came from.

I considered taking my sword with me but felt that if I had bent over I would have most likely have fallen over and not gotten up again, so I left it there and made my way over. It felt strange to feel the crunch of the mushy snow beneath me, it sounded so loud in the suddenly quiet of the arena. It seemed not even the animals were moving in the forest anymore. Compared to, what was it, two or three weeks ago when I stayed at my position and walked casually to the cornucopia and sat at it like Cade and I planned, everything was so different, so changed. I was different, I was changed. Now I was walking to the cornucopia to see who was dead before I gave out myself. I had blood on my hands now. I had let someone walk to their death and I couldn't feel any kind of emotion about that. My heart was still going at its erratic pace with no intention of slowing down. If my injuries didn't kill me then my heart certainly will. At least it will end, eventually.

There was a body slouched against one side of the cornucopia, their chest rising and falling unsteadily, trails of blood made their way down the side of the monument from this person. I walked closer until I was right below them.

"Ria? Ria is that you?" Hilliard, he was still alive. I felt like crying from joy. At least it wasn't any of the - us careers for once.

"Yeah. Yeah it's me."

"Ria, I want you to take this." His hand appeared above me and in his hand was a necklace with some sort of stone chain.

"Please, take it to my family."

"Why? You're the one Hilliard. I, I can't hold out much longer."

"Please Ria. A normal person wouldn't get up after an attack like that but you did. You have the will to live. Just take it please." He was whispering now. I wish I could see his face. This was the plea of a dying young man, but weren't we all dying or at least already dead. I took the chain; I didn't want to cause him any more pain. I looked closer at the chain and realised it wasn't a rock but a small carving of a mocking jay. If they found me and I survived they would surely take it off me. I stared at it for a while, which lead to the unfortunate event of seeing the state my body was in. there was bits of my flesh hanging out and flapping and so much blood. I wanted to puke. I closed my eyes to stop the image.

"It's you Ria." Was the last thing I heard when my legs gave out and I fell to the ground. I wanted to stay true to a promise I made, though I can't remember who I made it with, I felt very angry. Someone needed to take the blame for the deaths.

"I hate the Capitol!" I screamed as loud as I could. I tried to breathe deeply but it was no use. I stared at the piece he gave me still. Then the cannon fired and I made up mind. I swallowed the piece. Mind over matter, they can't expel from my body what doesn't want to be expelled. I gave into the pain then and I closed my eyes. Laying my head on the cool snow beneath me. It was refreshing, relaxing almost. Then there was a voice but it was too faint for me to hear and then a buzzing and I felt like there was an extractor fan on in front of my face. Is this what it feels like to die? That was my last sane thought. I opened my eyes one last time and saw the blazing flames behind me, imagining the smell of wood burning, the grey sky and pink snow. This time when I would close my eyes again it would be gone; I knew that, it would be over. My eyelids slowly closed and darkness took hold.

But it was only for a minute and when I opened them again I was in a dark room. It wasn't as cold as the snow. That I was sure of but it wasn't warm. The next thing I noticed was the metal. My hands were being restrained, chained to the wall by shackles, they could only move a certain distance and they were already raw, if not bleeding. I checked my body for all my scars but found I could find none. Even my sense of smell was back. The room smelt damp. There was a buzzing that sent shiver through my veins. But it wasn't close, yet. Where was I? Shouldn't I be dead?

There was a window in front of me. I could see out of it. A house was across the road. A house with a shop below and across from this window was a balcony from that house. The house looked cold and empty and I felt a pang of sadness in my chest from just looking at it. I tried to remember anything that could help me figure out where I was, people's names even. Wasn't there a Tristin? Didn't he help my sword fight? A memory came to mind but instead of friendly teaching the dark person who was teaching me changed he smiled cruelly at me and lunged trying to sink his blade into my chest. No, that wasn't it. Maybe my father, Sage, hadn't he taught me the saying 'Sink or Swim,' but suddenly I remembered him pushing my head under water saying the phrase laughing manically. These memories of people who were supposed to care about me scared me. I had one of my mother, jumping down from somewhere and landing like a cat, her teeth extending. Another of my brother with a gun so casually pointed at my head, his eyes red as he pulls the trigger.

I searched the room for something to distract me from the images now that my eyes had adjusted. I could make out a door to the left but it showed signs of being invisible to the other side. The room was relatively empty save for a few chairs and tables. But there was something behind me then I feel the cool pin leave my skin and see a needle fold back on the robotic arm and go into a shelf cut into the wall and then see the wall cover the hole.

That's when I hear the shout outside. Calling a name, it seems familiar. Maybe I know her, Arianna Beck, all these people shouting for her. Then I hear knocking on the wall, the side the door is on. I want to call out, tell them not to bother, that there's no one in here except me but either, my voice is too dry or I've lost the will to speak because I don't answer. I just stare at the wall. Eventually I hear a click the people must have done something right because the door then swings open and the room is greeted by a line of light, it's blinding. I blink and try to cover my eyes but find my arms restrained. Slowly I get used to the light and see shadows and people in the shadows. A flashlight goes on and flashes around the room to land on me, this time I shut them tightly. A shuffling of feet and then there's shouts of

"We've found her. It's her." I want to shrink into the corner and disappear but I can't because I'm restrained.

"Miss, Miss Beck. You're okay now, you're safe." A man with olive skin and dark brown hair and grey eyes, says squatting down in front of me.

"Oh Ria, darling you're okay. It's going to be alright." An old lady said bursting into tears at the end, she moves to hug me but I shrink away.

"Get away from me, all of you." I shout. That's when they all realised something was wrong. Some exchange worried glances but I continue to stare out the window. The old lady follows my gaze.

"Oh dear god," she whispers but everyone hears her, "she probably saw the whole thing."

I feel a familiar twitch inside me, like I know something bad is going to happen and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I look around trying to figure out what it is but then I hear buzzing and I realise. Tear start to form at my eyes and I pull on the chains, hard causing my wrists to bleed. Panic takes hold my breathing increases I look down and that's when I see my breasts, when did I get those? Last time I barely had any and wasn't I shorter? Then I hear a ticking and I stand up trying to get as far away from the opening as possible. The whole room just watches me, just stares. Don' they realise what's about to happen? Don't they know the pain that goes through you? How it breaks you down. I pull on the chains more but then they stop and tighten pulling my body close to the wall, I try to fight it, I try to keep as far away but the metal is stronger than me. I'm crying openly tears of pain of what's about to come, tears from the cuts on my wrists and then the wall is folding back and the robotic arm comes out. My legs are trying to push from the wall. I move my body hoping that in doing so it will slow down the process. Then I hear the needle emerge that's when the people in the room spring into action, they all begin to try to break the needle in some way or to break the arm, but I know it's useless. They can't break these types of things. The chains pull tight once more and then the needle is slowly moving towards my arm where it begins to pierce the skin, immediately it begins to release the toxins, I can feel the pain from the injection and then the memories they twist and turn. Whatever thought I have warps and forms into something new. I feel like this battle has long been won. That I fought hard for a long while but it eventually just broke through, maybe something triggered it, and triggered the breakdown of my defences. Then the pain is gone and I'm being pulled into the arms of someone and out into the brightly lit hallway where a stretcher is waiting. I look up at the people and then close my eyes to the terrors.


End file.
